The Famous Grouse celebrated its 111th birthday on Sunday, 12 August and to mark the occasion, a bar in Perth, Scotland, has become the first ever to be named after Scotland’s favourite whisky.

The brand is also celebrating its continued success, with a growth rate of 3.4 per cent, producing more than 30 million bottles last year. The latest figures from the IWSR (2006) state that the brand has held its position as the 5th largest standard blend and overall has moved up one place to become the 11th largest whisky brand globally.

The brand, which has been No.1 in Scotland since 1980, is also continuing to perform well in other markets, including the Nordic region where it has just become No. 1 in Norway and is also maintaining this position in Sweden for the 6th year running. In addition, it is the fastest growing brand in Portugal and Denmark.

According to Gerry O’Donnell, director of The Famous Grouse: “The Famous Grouse brand is well poised to become famous in more countries. This is an exciting growth phase for Scotch whisky, with a range of market breakthroughs starting to take place, eg China, and a number on the verge of breakthrough, eg Russia, India and Brazil.

We’re also aiming to bring more innovation to the marketplace through either additional members of the family, eg The Black Grouse in the Nordic markets (a new blended Scotch for consumers who like a stronger flavour) or in gifting, via our web-based personalised label service launched this year, or in the way we serve Scotch – with our Frozen Serve initiative that moves into further testing this autumn,” he added.

Perth has been home to The Famous Grouse brand since it was founded by Matthew Gloag in 1896. Initially called “The Grouse Brand”, the whisky was so popular that it was renamed “The Famous Grouse”. Matthew Gloag registered the trademark on the stroke of midnight on 11 August 1905, the opening of The Glorious 12th – the grouse season – making it the brand’s official birthday.

The Famous Grouse is imported, marketed and distributed by Wands Ltd, a subsidiary of The Farsons Group of Companies.